madt_clone: on "directory already exists", report whether it's the same repo or a different one #350

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opened 2026-07-22 20:23:22 +00:00 by hexajon · 0 comments

hexajon commented

2026-07-22 20:23:22 +00:00

(Migrated from codeberg.org)

When madt_clone hits an existing target directory it stops with a bare "directory already exists". That leaves me to work out by hand whether the directory is a stale clone of the repo I actually asked for (safe to reuse) or an unrelated project that happens to share the name (a real collision I have to rename around).

The refusal already has what it needs to answer that - it can read the existing directory's origin remote and compare it against the repo being cloned.

Proposed behaviour when the target directory already exists:

origin matches the requested repo -> say so, and suggest reusing it or passing a fresh --directory
origin differs -> report both (existing origin vs requested) so the name collision is obvious at a glance
not a git repo at all -> say that instead

Turns a bare stop into a one-line diagnosis. Small quality-of-life thing, but it bit me today.

When `madt_clone` hits an existing target directory it stops with a bare "directory already exists". That leaves me to work out by hand whether the directory is a stale clone of the repo I actually asked for (safe to reuse) or an unrelated project that happens to share the name (a real collision I have to rename around). The refusal already has what it needs to answer that - it can read the existing directory's `origin` remote and compare it against the repo being cloned. Proposed behaviour when the target directory already exists: - origin matches the requested repo -> say so, and suggest reusing it or passing a fresh `--directory` - origin differs -> report both (existing origin vs requested) so the name collision is obvious at a glance - not a git repo at all -> say that instead Turns a bare stop into a one-line diagnosis. Small quality-of-life thing, but it bit me today.

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sixfold-space/madtea#350

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